Music dossier: Tuning in to the unfamiliar
Music – facilitator of intercultural dialogue
How can Edward Said's ideas help people better understand Yoko Ono's performance art, pre-colonial rhythms from Africa or the music of Christian missionaries in Japan? The Edward W. Said Days in Berlin marking 20 years since the literary scholar's death explored a whole range of questions. Ceyda Nurtsch reports
From Palestine to the world stage
Pianist Faraj Suleiman has developed a style all his own, rich in ornamentation and with a powerful rock energy. At an unimaginably difficult time this Palestinian musician, who lives in Israel, has released a new album: "As Much As It Takes"
Homage to the grand master of Persian music
Singer-songwriter Reem Kelani's latest release – "The Singer Said: Bird of Dawn" – pays tribute to Mohammad Reza Shajarian. The two-song EP features Kelani's unique take on a famous Shajarian anthem and a second track symbolic of the iconic Iranian singer's life. By Richard Marcus
Myths re-imagined
Kurdish singer Hani Mojtahedi and German electro legend Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars have collaborated on an album that also pays homage to Mojtahedi’s grandfather, a Sufi master
![Syrian music band from Ottoman Aleppo, mid 18th century, by Alex. Russel, M.D. 1794. The Chamber Music drawn from life, as described by Russel, "the first is a Turk of lower class, he beats the Diff [Daff]. The person next to him is an ordinary Christian and plays the Tanboor. The middle figure is a Dervish, he is playing the Naie [Nay]. The fourth is a Christian of middle rank, he plays the Kamangi. The last man, he beats the Nakara with his fingers in order to soften the the sound for the voice, but the d](/sites/default/files/styles/uv_image_16_9/public/import/2020-12/96566-aleppomusic.jpg?itok=zgW5_oPp "Syrian music band from Ottoman Aleppo, mid 18th century, by Alex. Russel, M.D. 1794. The Chamber Music drawn from life, as described by Russel, \"the first is a Turk of lower class, he beats the Diff [Daff]. The person next to him is an ordinary Christian and plays the Tanboor. The middle figure is a Dervish, he is playing the Naie [Nay]. The fourth is a Christian of middle rank, he plays the Kamangi. The last man, he beats the Nakara with his fingers in order to soften the the sound for the voice, but the drum sticks appear from under his vest\" (source: Wikipedia.org: Public Domain)")
Attuned to a different classical
Many in the West equate Middle Eastern music with the folklore of "A Thousand and One Nights". Tayfun Guttstadt demonstrates just how erroneous this is
Dedicated to Muslims and Jews everywhere
Reminding people of the close ties that once bound Muslims and Jews in Iran and elsewhere, American-Iranian vocalist and songwriter Galeet Dardashti's "Monajat" travels through time to transcend seemingly impassable geographical and cultural borders. By Richard Marcus
A Franco-Arabic acoustic duet
Djazia Satour is one of the most eminent Algerian vocalists of our time. Her new stage project sees her performing her songs in a duo setting with pianist Pierre-Luc Jamain and bringing to life the sounds and tonal colour of her childhood home.
Tarapzade – "Seek it in yourself"
Tayfun Guttstadt’s debut album “Tarapzade” is a cultural voyage of self-discovery through two seemingly opposite musical worlds. Marian Brehmer had a listen
A whispered history
The history of Jews and Muslims is far more entangled than you might imagine – but you have to listen out for it. In "Recording History", Christopher Silver takes us on a sonic journey into twentieth-century North Africa, to a forgotten world of records and recording artists – and the music that defined an era. Interview by Tugrul von Mende
A Richly Diverse Palette of Rhythm and Timbre
The first International Congress of Arab Music took place in Cairo 80 years ago. Intended as a means of preserving the Arab musical heritage, it actually led to a regeneration of classical Arab music. By Suleman Taufiq
Spanning times and cultures
Berlin-based international chamber music ensemble Musica Sequenza is known for its modern interpretation of baroque music. With his latest project, the opera "Kassia", composer and ensemble director Burak Ozdemir transcends temporal, cultural and geographical boundaries. By Ceyda Nurtsch
Songs for days to come
This year’s Morgenland Festival opened with the premiere of Kinan Azmeh’s musical theatre piece, “Songs for Days to Come”, based on fifteen poems by contemporary Syrian poets. Marian Brehmer reports for Qantara.de
The Persian nightingale and the flowers of hope
Shahram Nazeri is the undisputed master of setting Rumi's poetry to music. At a recent concert in Teheran, the renowned musician sang his audience into a state of ecstasy and gave voice to the Iranians' hopes for a brighter cultural future. After several barren years, the cultural scene is indeed showing tentative signs of change. By Massoud Schirazi
Black Tunisiansʹ bitter heritage
In the south-eastern Tunisian region of Medenine, music represented a socially marginalised way for post-emancipation blacks to advance. These days thatʹs not enough to satisfy the younger generation. By Marta Scaglioni
Ney music with a mission
“La Melancolie Royale” is an hour-long Sufi meditation on the reed flute by the great Turkish virtuoso Kudsi Erguner. Marian Brehmer on a Sufi musician with a mission
Rainbow's hope in hell
The music of Adir Jan, a Kurdish singer-songwriter and saz player born in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin successfully brings together the diverse worlds of queer poetry, Kurdish folk, Sufi mysticism and psychedelic art rock in a music whose hypnotic rhythms bring together many different communities. By David Siebert
An Uphill Struggle All the Way
With heavy censorship and no copyright laws, being a musician in Iran is a thankless job. Bamdad Esmaili spoke to a number of Iranian musicians about the manifold challenges they face
A hub connecting the Orient and the Occident
The Osnabruck Morgenland Festival has acquired a reputation for top-class Oriental music. Marian Brehmer spoke to the festival's founder, Michael Dreyer, about the challenges of organising the annual festival, and how un-political a festival of the Orient can be
You can find more articles in our dossier: Musical Worlds